Arkansas Senate Report: Tax cuts, highways and fluoride

Editor’s note: Arkansas Sen. Jake Files, R-Fort Smith, provided the following commentary on the previous week of the 88th Arkansas General Assembly.

Last week was a busy week on many fronts, and many let their voices be heard with phone calls and emails, and I appreciate all the feedback. I try to respond promptly, and I hope you are able to track bills and know what is going on if there is an issue of particular interest to you.

TAX CUTS
We begin again with tax cuts, and I won’t go into the debate over which taxes to cut or not to cut. I will tell you there has been some posturing from many sides that make this an interesting topic.

First, you have the dynamic of the House vs. Senate. There were some comments made in the early days of the Session to the extent that the House should pass out everything, and the Senate would decide which (tax-cut) bills were actually going to become law. Not saying it was even said or is good or bad, just a little political gamesmanship being played as it relates to the bills at hand.

Second, you have the Progressive vs. Conservative dynamic. Some legislators are concerned over any tax cut, and some are simply concerned about cutting taxes right now. While we debated the tax cuts on the floor of the Senate last week, there was some meaningful discourse of where was enough cuts enough, and what tangible benefits were being gained in the tax cutting process.

Last, you have the Executive vs. Legislative branch, and what can we afford. Gov. Mike Beebe and his staff have come out strongly that the grocery tax cut was the only one that needed to become law. Many, in both parties I might add, had differing opinions on this, and yet the grocery tax bill was the largest cut of any that have passed out of the Senate.

It has been and will be interesting to see how this all comes out, but any kind of standoff in any of the three above listed battles means a loss for the citizens of Arkansas in my opinion.

As a final note, I went to the well to speak on behalf of the Manufacturers Utility Tax Cut this week and greatly enjoyed the debate. We have to do all we can to provide the most competitive environment for manufacturers and all businesses that we can. I not only campaigned on this pledge, I believe it is the future of our state as it relates to jobs, our economy, and our well-being.

HIGHWAYS
This week, several plans were unveiled as it relates to a future highway plan. There were several layers of the plan, and much of the revenue was based on a 5-cent per gallon diesel tax that the Arkansas Trucking Association has floated to pay for the interstate system. This will be referred to the voters, and it will be interesting to see what kind of support and reception it receives. Some positives in my opinion are that the monies go straight to Interstate rehabilitation (and hopefully some for I-49 expansion) and that it does not necessarily have to go through the Highway Commission.

PRISONS
Still waiting on a final version of the Public Safety Improvement Act. I read a great editorial from Chief of Police Jackson from Greenwood on the necessity of the law, and we have answered many questions from those who think this releases violent offenders early. I look forward to seeing the final draft this week and debating the real future of our correctional system.

If you want to see a good analysis on Prison Reform in general, I would point you to the Right on Crime website. I think it would be worth your time if you have any interest from a conservative’s point of view.

INDIVIDUAL BILLS OF INTEREST
SB180
I received several emails and calls about this bill and there was a great deal of confusion about exactly what it did. First of all, to clarify, this bill did NOT affect Fort Smith at all. It was specifically written to exclude any existing A&P. Second, it would not have affected the hamburger tax in Fort Smith recently passed by the City Directors after about 2 years of bouncing the issue around. The bill failed in the Senate Revenue & Tax committee and may be brought back up in the future.

SB359
This is the fluoridation bill and has been a source of much information and misinformation. Most of the correspondence I received on the bill happened after we voted on it, but I will also tell you that I got comments that ranged from this was a communist plot (have yet to figure that one out) to the Center for Disease Control was against it (they actually say it is one of the top 10 public health advancements in the 20th century) to it was going to cost $1,000,000 a year in Fort Smith just to test the fluoride levels (testimony on the floor proved far, far less).

I voted for the bill and am open to hearing many points of view on it. I appreciate those who have called and agreed and disagreed, and I can tell you I will always be honest and tell you where I stand on the issues, and hopefully can gain your trust and respect for being truthful with you, the voters.

PERSONAL NOTES
My oldest daughter spent the day on the Senate floor with me on Monday, and we had a great day together.

On a sad, personal note, my 15 year old Black Lab had to be put to sleep this week. That was a tough, tough experience, and I empathize with anyone who has to be in this situation.

I plan to file several bills this week that will continue to deal with some of the issues at hand. Most of them are common-sense related legislation that I think needs to be addressed.

The direct phone to the Senate is (501) 682-2901, and my e-mail is [email protected]

I look forward to hearing from you.